National Institutes of Health Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals From Disadvantaged Backgrounds

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) announce the 2005 Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR-LRP or Program). The ECR-LRP provides for the repayment of educational loan debt of up to $35,000 annually for qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds conducting clinical research for domestic non-profit or government entities. In addition, the program will cover up to 39 percent of the Federal tax liability resulting from loan repayments, and may provide reimbursement for State and local tax liabilities. The purpose of the Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds is the recruitment and retention of highly qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds in careers in clinical research. Through this notice, the NIH and NCMHD invite qualified health professionals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and interested in engaging in clinical research for at least two years, and who agree to engage in this area of research for at least 50 percent of their time, i.e., no less than 20 hours per week, to apply for participation in the NIH Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR-LRP).